


Some Adjustment Might be Necessary (or alternately, Magneto's a dick)

by Lokidowhatiwant



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), X-Men (Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angsty Schmoop, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Human Experimentation, Hurt Tony, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mutant Tony Stark, Not Iron Man 3 Compliant, Tony Angst, Tony-centric, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-07
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-03-22 22:47:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3746404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokidowhatiwant/pseuds/Lokidowhatiwant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Why do routine missions always end badly? If Tony wasn't already sure the world hated him then this would be the wake up call. The X-Men are away, it's just a few low level mutants causing a disturbance. Whoever got that intel was going to get a surprise as soon as Tony could get out of here. Wherever here was?</p>
<p>Oh great, now he's stuck with a super villain, who can manipulate metal, in a darkened room with a lump of metal sitting in his chest. Things can only get better.
</p><p>But still, not matter what Magneto does, he won't build him a damn thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kidnapping was not in the briefing

**Author's Note:**

> This is both compliant and not with the movies. I'm ignoring Iron Man 3 but Thor TDW and CA:TWS still happened. The first X-Men movie happened then the mutants kind of just fought against each other for a while with things happening but no one dying cause I want to have Jean and generally people who would be dead. I've never read any of the comics so all my info is either self-thought, from the movies, or from rants on Tumblr.  
> This is my first ever fanfiction so it will probably suck, but I did get my friend to Beta it so it can't be that bad. 
> 
> I'm going to say there may be triggers, I don't know cause I don't have experience, but there will be torture and flashbacks and people being hateful towards mutants so if you don't think you can read that then don't.

It was supposed to be a routine mission. The X-Men are away and there are some mutants causing a ruckus downtown. Just get in there and stop them, hand them to Shield then go out for Mexican food. But no, the world hates Tony and the ground he walks on so of course it wouldn’t just be some mutants, turns out it was many and the one important detail everyone didn’t pick up on- Magneto was there.

A guy in a metal suit fighting a guy who can control metal, things could only get better. And they did, turned out Magneto had a reason for attacking when the X-Men were away, he wanted to fight the Avengers. More specifically he wanted to fight Iron Man and then subsequently disable and kidnap him when everyone was busy.

Which lead to the situation now where Tony was getting tired of Magneto’s bullshit, and was wondering when he would understand that no meant no, he would not build him a mutant making machine, he wasn’t sure if he could. Maybe he should get Pepper to book Magneto in for one of the sexual harassment talks she used to be so fond of sending Tony to. This was definitely a red light situation if he ever saw one. At that moment in time the Master of Attraction (what, he can’t make puns in these situations) was waxing poetic about how wonderful the world would be with mutants in charge, when everyone had powers.

‘……think of what could be done, we could appropriate peoples’ mutations to help everyone. Those who could heal themselves could provide the way to heal others,’ at this point Magneto turned his gaze to the arc reactor which could just be seen under Tony’s t-shirt, ‘think of what it would be like to be rid of the constant pain, to be able to live without a crutch, to be free.’

Tony repressed a shiver of revulsion and the urge to check the arc was still there. ‘I’d thank you for the sentiment but I’m perfectly fine with it sitting right where it is, I’d rather it be there than in the hands of an evil bastard like yourself.’

Magneto turned to face him, a faint sneer of disdain curling his lip. 'I’d rather you not rope me in with those others you fight but I suppose the pigheadedness of heroes isn’t just limited to the mutant ones. It is such a shame that you have so vehemently declined to build my machine. Think of all the possibilities that will arise from its creation, think of all that we could do.' Magneto stepped away from Tony and shifted his gaze to Tony's eyes. 'I think that I might be able to convince you to build it though.'

‘You see, years ago we built a machine that did exactly what I’m asking you to build me a machine for. You may ask why not just use that machine, why get you to build another? Well you see Mr. Stark, while it worked, it also caused the genes to become unstable and the subject would mutate and not stop until their cells… _collapsed_. It was also very taxing for the person powering the machine and would sap their strength. Of course this is not ideal which is why I am asking of you to build me a machine that works.’

‘We have had some success in developing the technology, but only for single subjects, what I am asking you for, Mr. Stark, is something that will affect cities, countries, _the world_. All the stigma about mutants would stop when we are all mutants. There would be no more weak people behind the evolutionary curve, we would be a super race. Think of what we could have done against the Aliens and the Norse God if we had all been gifted with mutations.’

‘But enough of my rambling, perhaps you would like to see what we have been working on these past few years. I think you’ll find the effects quite, _interesting_.’

Magneto walked behind Tony, setting up something out of his sight. Tony felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, there was only one thing Magneto could be doing after that conversation.

Maybe if he could just stall him, maybe something might happen in his favor for once.

‘So Mr. Creepy, Dark and Ominous, seeing as you are lurking back there doing something nefarious I’m sure, would you care to give me a little information. Maybe we could have a little tit for tat, crack open a bottle of scotch and a box of cigars and have ourselves a discussion. I’ll promise not to mention your love affair with Xavier and you can stop whatever it is you’re doing back there.’

‘I’m afraid, Mr. Stark, that I care little for scotch or cigars, but you are welcome to ask your questions. What little information you can get is precious for one in a situation such as yours.’

Tony took a preparing breath, might as well get all he could.

‘Well then, I’ll begin simple, don’t want to confuse you in your old age. This _machine_ , when it was first built and the later models, they don’t affect mutants right? I mean you already have the X gene, it would defeat the purpose if you were changed. But like you said the technology wasn’t perfected, did it affect the mutants in the machine’s radius, is that why you are so determined for me to make this work?’

‘An amusing theory, a wrong one, but amusing nonetheless. It does not affect those who already carry the X gene and if it did I would have never used it until it was sure to never harm my kind. I would not risk the lives of my brethren so needlessly. Of course the later models are so concentrated that mutants feel the same pain that humans feel when the device is used on them but suffer no ill effects afterwards. All the mutants we used to test this volunteered and were aware that they would probably feel pain but they were dedicated to our cause. You paint me as a kind of monster but we are not all that different you and I.’

‘Save the speech, I’ve heard it before. _We’re alike, we both do this because we care about our people, we give everything to the causes we believe in, we make the sacrifices_. It didn’t sway me then and it doesn’t sway me now. We may be similar, I’m not contesting that, but at the end of the day I’m the one who’ll be sitting in my penthouse in New York and you’ll be the one rotting in a plastic jail cell.’

‘And there is a reason I paint you as a monster. You may not harm any of your so called brethren but you used it on humans, people who I’m sure as hell didn’t volunteer. And you wonder why people don’t support you. And you know what, I retract my earlier statement, there’s no way we are alike, I wouldn’t kill people for a selfish mission like yours. I figured you’d be opposed to this, the elitist ideal where one race is better than the others. You suffered first-hand because of someone who believed in a perfect race and now you continue with the idea. I don’t understand it.’

‘…I think we’ve stalled long enough Mr. Stark, you’ll be happy to know your efforts to make me forget my purpose have been in vain, despite my age. I also now see that my Shield file must be extensive for you to have acquired that information. I’ll be sure to rectify it, but now Mr. Stark let me be the first to say that we will welcome you with open arms as one of our ranks when your _Avengers,_ throw you to the dogs.’

With those words Magneto went to flip the breakers of the machine that was now prepped and ready to go, ‘and when had that been set up he must have been so far into his psychoanalysis of the nutjob that he had missed that’. A deep whirring hum started to emit from behind Tony and he could feel the vibrations of it starting up. An uncomfortable prickle started on his neck as a wave of heat hit him. The energy was palpable in the air and now Tony was starting to sweat. He couldn’t see anything he could just stare ahead. He had no idea when it would start, when it would end, what it would feel like, he had _no idea._

A bright light appeared behind him as the heat approached unbearable levels. Then the pain started, a bone deep ache spreading through his whole body until he had to bite his lips to keep from screaming and soon that wasn’t enough. The coppery taste of blood that flooded his mouth was inconsequential to the excruciating throbbing he could feel in his muscles. An agonised yell tore from his throat as the light and heat grew in intensity. Soon he wasn’t sure what was up, where he was, he just wanted it to stop but it just grew and grew and grew-… and stopped. Tony sagged down into the chair he was restrained in, his breath laboured and phantom pains still making his limbs shiver. He could feel the darkness encroaching in his vision and he welcomed it thinking,

_‘At least he didn’t mess with my arc reactor…’_


	2. He is not freaking out, no sir, it's just that he's disorientated and alone and maybe freaking out a just a little bit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why was he here again.....? Oh yeah, kidnapping, evil villain speech, mutant machine..... why is this Tony's life? Everything was so much simpler when the Avengers only had to deal with their villains and not everyone else's.
> 
> Next time Loki comes to cause mayhem Tony is letting the X-Men deal with him, this is just ridiculous.
> 
> But back to the situation at hand which is that Tony is currently in an unknown location, having been taken by the brotherhood of mutants and may be a mutant himself..... and he's only been awake for an hour at most.... why is this his life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you mean I posted the first chapter then didn't update for over two months..... you must be mistaken...... I'm sorry please don't hate me I didn't forget about this I promise. I just looked at it getting hits and kudos and comments and thought I should update this everyone is so nice and amazing and the deserve chapters, and promptly did nothing cause I'm lazy.
> 
> But seriously everyone who commented, bookmarked, kudosed (is that a word), or even just read the first chapter, you are all amazing and restored all of my faith in humanity. I could wax poetic about everyone but I won't instead I'll stop talking, warn you that this chapter is unbetad so tell me if parts don't make sense or if there are corrections, and let you read it. As always tell me if you want something cleared up as I am happy to answer questions as long as they don't ruin the plot and the surprises or something.

Tony awoke with a splitting headache and an uncomfortable burning pain throughout his whole body. His clothes were stuck to his skin with sweat and it felt as if there was fire crawling through his veins. Every breath felt dry and would have sent him into a coughing fit if he could have coughed. Every shift of his body felt as if he were lying on a bed of needles. His eyes felt crusty as he opened them and all he could see was various coloured blurs.

He turned his head to the side and tried to make sense of his surroundings but his eyes wouldn’t focus. No matter how much he blinked all he could see was hazy red lights and grey walls blurring into each other. As far as he knew he was in hell, at least that would explain the unbearable heat. He felt he should be panicked with this revelation but couldn’t summon the will. He tried to move his limbs but couldn’t, whether from lethargy or being strapped to the surface he was lying on, he did not know. The very effort of trying to move sent a wave of nausea through him, forcing him to close his eyes and breathe.

It felt as if there were a fog clouding his mind. He couldn’t think past the heat and exhaustion that had gripped his body. The longer he was awake, the more the heat grew. He could feel sweat running down his forehead, down his back, pooling uncomfortably where he was laying. It was a fight to stay awake and instead he welcomed the embrace of the darkness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next time Tony woke up it was to a clearer head and a much cooler feeling throughout his body. Although he still felt hotter than usual, his body no longer felt like a furnace and he now just had damp clothing from where he had been sweating previously.

This time when he opened his eyes, Tony could see he was laying on a metal table of some sort in the middle of a fairly nondescript room. The walls and floors were both the same uninteresting shade of grey that seems prevalent in most evil villains’ lairs and the red light came from the security cameras in the corners of the room. When he was awake before no other lights had been on but now Tony found himself staring into a bright white light whilst contemplating his surroundings.

‘Okay think, what do I remember? I was kidnapped, Magnes did the whole evil villain rant thing, and then he zapped me with the mutant machine….. Oh yeah, the mutant machine which I am not about to freak out about no sir…. Oh god what if I’m a mutant, what will the team think, I’ve got nothing against mutants but Howard said they were abominations and Steve and Bucky are from his time, they knew him, they were friends-‘

He cut himself off, worrying about what might happen would do him no good at this point in time. First things first he needed a plan to get out of here. Then he needed to find out where here is…. Maybe he should do that first. If only he had a computer or a phone or something he could use to get a connection, but who would be stupid enough to give him technology.

At least he could comfort himself with the fact that he wasn’t tied to the table. He could get up and move despite not being able to go anywhere. He pushed himself upright and swung himself around so his legs dangled off the side of the table in one smooth move (give him a break he was tired) and promptly almost collapsed back onto the table. Did someone get the license plate of the truck that hit him because damn his body hurt. Bright pinpricks of light appeared in his vision and his arms felt like lead as he grabbed onto the edge of the table and stuck his head between his knees.

He was breathing heavily, trying to quell the nausea which had made another unwanted appearance and debating whether summoning the effort to move his arms to rub his temples and ease the headache would be worth it. In the end any movement stirred up a new wave of sickness so he kept still.

Tony felt like he had been in that position for hours when the headache dulled to a manageable level and he felt he could move without his last meal making a comeback. He finally sat up and took stock of the room. His initial look around was right in the fact that everything was grey but he hadn’t realised that that was because the whole room was made of metal and there was no visible seam where a door would be so obviously Magneto wanted him secure.

The room was small and had little in the way of furniture. The table, which now that he looked at it looked like a surgery table and that brought back unpleasant memories and he promised to not panic until he had a plan, was the main feature in the room. The only other object was a rather crude looking toilet which didn’t even have pipes and was more of a glorified bucket and wasn’t that just lovely.

With another cursory glance to check he hadn’t missed anything Tony finally lay back down and started formulating a plan, well the beginnings of a plan. He surmised that unless he could somehow get at the light or security cameras and rewire them into something then he would have to wait until Magneto came to visit him, as he surely would, or the Avengers came to rescue him, which he hoped they were working on otherwise he might just join the mutants out of spite.

Having made his conclusion Tony now realised he was stuck until someone came to get him, be it a villain or an ally. He also realised that he was going to get incredibly bored. He also realised that while he had been checking out the room and devising a plan of sorts he had been able to focus and now that he wasn’t the panic he had pushed down was rearing its ugly head.

He closed his eyes and lay hyperventilating with thoughts of never being found, thoughts of caves and water and death and heat and crushing pressure on his lungs and a ripping sensation in his chest and they were hurting him, _why wouldn’t they stop_ -

Tony passed out from the lack of oxygen getting to his brain and seemed to lay peacefully. His dreams were still haunted by his thoughts that followed him wherever he went.

Of course in all his panic and his focus on how he could escape he had missed one thing about the room. Where he had been laying as the fire had ripped through his veins earlier, and where he lay now, the metal of the table had been warped to fit his body shape as if melted by an intense heat…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering why Tony calls Magneto Magnes this is the story- 'The most popular legend accounting for the discovery of magnets is that of an elderly Cretan shepherd named Magnes. Legend has it that Magnes was herding his sheep in an area of Northern Greece called Magnesia, about 4,000 years ago. Suddenly both, the nails in his shoes and the metal tip of his staff became firmly stuck to the large, black rock on which he was standing. To find the source of attraction he dug up the Earth to find lodestones (load = lead or attract). Lodestones contain magnetite, a natural magnetic material Fe3O4. This type of rock was subsequently named magnetite, after either Magnesia or Magnes himself.'  
> Ok, so that's why and I realise I should probably come up with better names to call him but I lack pop culture knowledge to do that so I shall make obscure references...
> 
> Anyway I realise this chapter just basically sums up stuff and is a filler until shit goes down and is basically just Tony whump so I'll try to get the next one up but in case there is a repeat of the situation which happened for two months (I'm so sorry) I shall link my tumblr so people can pester me to update or send me prompts and headcanons (to do with marvel cause I can't do much else) cause I accept those so- http://lokidowhatiwant.tumblr.com/ hit me up or something I'd love to hear ideas for any fics you're too busy to write yourself or something and please send me messages to tell me to update I need reminders cause I am awful.
> 
> I shall end this here and if this isn't updated in less than a week then I have failed as I am literally doing nothing until September I have no excuse.


	3. Discovering what powers you have is great fun, at least you would think

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So he was still in he cell, but now Magneto wants to talk to him....  
> No means no, why don't supervillains get that.  
> Well hey, torture and Magneto's lackeys must be better than the grey metal walls, it's just that they're tiring. Whatever happened to god old fashioned traps for the daring hero to escape from, he was getting bored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired and it's four o'clock in the morning but I wanted to write this and post it cause I'm in that kind of mood.  
> You guys are still amazing, I love your comments and just generally everything about you so keep being amazing.  
> WARNINGS FOR MAYBE GRAPHIC TORTURE it's at the end but please skip it if you're feeling uncomfortable, it's not as important to the story line as your health is to you.  
> This is un-betaed again because I don't think my friend would appreciate me sending this to her and demanding she read it before I post it at this time of morning.

Tony woke up again in the same position he was in before, _and how many times was he going to get to see the same ceiling and annoying lightbulb before something happened, it was driving him crazy_. The lethargy from the machine had faded but now he could feel the prickling heat under his skin, an itch he couldn’t scratch but was barely there, incessant and maddening.

He pushed himself up from the table determined to think of a more solid plan instead of degenerating into panic like he did, what he assumed was, the day before. He started pacing, trying to stimulate his brain to form ideas whist pushing all other thoughts from his head.

After an indeterminable length of time, which he spent knocking on metal walls to test their thickness and inspecting security cameras for something he could use for his escape, Tony’s attention was captured by the parting of one of the walls. He stiffened and narrowed his eyes as Magneto stepped into his cell completely unaffected by Tony’s hate filled glare.

‘Mr. Stark, I do hope you are enjoying your accommodation, I hope yesterday wasn’t too painful an experience. We would have stepped in, but you see it is best not to interfere with those who have been affected by the machine, at least until they are conscious and have some control over their powers. Of course what powers you have and the extent of them still remains a mystery but I assure you I plan to rectify that.’

Tony blanched. He supressed shudders at the look Magneto was giving him and resolved not to think about what ‘I plan to rectify that’ meant. Even if he did have mutant powers, _and he was still firmly in denial of that fact_ , he would never willingly let the villain who kidnapped and demanded things of him experiment with them.

‘Before anything else happens, Mr. Stark, I must ask for your stance on my proposition.’

‘Nothing has changed, no way, no how. You can shove your proposition your ass right next to that big shiny helmeted head of yours.’

‘Now Anthony, such a crude response. I was going to offer you breakfast before we started, you haven’t eaten in over 24 hours after all, but I think I shan’t now.’

This would have been fine, had Magneto not mentioned it and had just withheld it, but now that it had been pointed out to him, Tony was famished. He could feel the hunger aching in his stomach and could now only think about his hunger. It only occurred to him that Magneto had said ‘before we start’ a few moments later and now his stomach was aching for a different reason.

‘’Now if you would come with me. If you try to struggle, or run, or attack then this shan’t be pleasant for you so I would advise against it. You might feel a slight jolt, don’t worry that is merely the platform moving.’

That was all the warning Tony got before the ground shifted beneath his feet and he almost fell flat on his face, only saved by the metal wrapped around his feet. Magneto was levitating them across a wide expanse between his cell and the door they were headed towards.

Tony looked about, cataloguing every escape route or chance he could take. The result was unsurprisingly bleak. Even if he did manage to somehow get out of his cell he would very quickly be acquainted with the floor of the room the metal was suspended in. He would have to either get the drop on Magneto, or wait for the Avengers, just as he thought.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the platform stopping and this time he slipped and fell onto his back, scowling at the metal which had stabilised him before. He soon felt himself being lifted as one of Magneto’s cronies, _Sabertooth_ , grabs him to take him to the room Magneto entered.

The room is a strange mix between a medieval torture chamber, an alien space ship and a training room. He supposed this was where they would try to determine his powers.

‘Now, a mutant’s power is usually revealed in a moment of great stress, where the mutant feels a surge of emotion and wants to access their power, however subconsciously that may be. As you were not a mutant before, your power shall probably need more coaxing to take effect, but rest assured it shall appear before the day is out.’

xxxxx

Tony was wishing for the day to end so he could go back to his cell. Magneto and his goons hadn’t stopped experimenting and testing on him for the whole day and he was tired.

They had gained some knowledge as to what his powers were and Tony had heard them recording them down. He had some kind of fire affinity, whether it was the ability to generate fire, control it, or just generally be warm they did not know. They hadn’t wanted to risk him using it against them and so had moved on. Their more recent discovery was that he had a healing ability. A healing they were now thoroughly testing the limits of.

So far they had progressed from small paper cut like incisions to slicing his skin deep enough that it would scar if it didn’t heal over immediately. The wounds were gradually getting deeper and more serious but he was healing so fast that the only concern for him was the initial pain, which hadn’t been dampened in the slightest.

At some point Magneto had gone, only to return seemingly frazzled compared to his previous appearance of calm and collected supervillain. Before Tony could enquire about his sudden hasty entrance in a suitable snarky manner, Magneto started talking.

‘I’m afraid we are a little more short of time than I expected when I first decided my plan. I’m going to have to ask you again, will you build me my machine? I feel I must warn you that a failure to answer correctly will mean bad news for you, although I can’t say it would be a great loss.’

Well shit, Tony thought, sounds like I’m going to die. ‘I will not and I will never build a machine for you. A day of torture had not changed my mind, I have survived much worse than you can deal out.’

‘I am disappointed in you answer, I thought you would have more self-preservation instinct but I was wrong. I would say it is a shame, but I feel the last words a man hears should not be a lie.’

With that Magneto raised a hand and seemed to be focused on Tony’s chest. His chest which was very exposed at that moment. His chest which had the arc reactor, a lump of metal keeping other bits of metal from killing him. A lump of metal that would cause him to die if it were taken out. A lump of metal that was painfully stretching his ribs and skin in a way it wasn’t before.

Tony could feel the metal casing expanding and also pulling itself from his skin. The ripping of bone and muscle as the casing was slowly wrenched from his chest. A grinding sound accompanied by the feeling of his innards being sliced open as the shrapnel floated up to hover around the arc.

Looking up at what had essentially been his life for the past few years hovering above him covered in blood, Tony almost thought it could be poetic justice. Some bullshit about the things that keep us alive, kill us. But instead Tony could barely from thought as his brain registered oxygen deprivation. The gaping hole in his chest was bleeding down over the table he was strapped to, his heart able to be seen weakly beating behind what was left of his lungs. His chest was still as he struggled to take a breath, unable to get any oxygen because of the hole.

The last thing he saw was Magneto’s sneering face as he crushed the arc into scrap metal, tossing it away without a care.

He tried to pay attention to Magneto’s retreating back and orders to evacuate the facility but leave anything unneeded behind, but he was too injured. He passed out thinking only of what awaited him in death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter down. I don't know why I take so long to write these, I really have no excuse. I feel as if the ending was rushed but I needed to get to that point for the next chapter and knew no other way to do it. Also I was getting bored of writing Tony in a cell.  
> Fun Fact about this fic if anyone cares: the first idea for this fic was a one shot in which Tony refused to make the machine so Magneto took the arc and Tony died. I was sad thinking about it and so I changed it a bit when I actually started writing, that and I had more ideas.  
> SPOILER ALERT for next chapter, don't read if you like cliff hangers and suspense. Tony isn't dead, just in case you were worried. And we meet the team for the first time. From the next chapter onwards Winteriron will play a part.


	4. Meanwhile at Avengers Tower....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whilst Tony has been living it up with the mutants Bucky and the team have been worried sick. Good thing they found a signal to follow to where Tony is.  
> The only questions that remain are of course, what did the mutants want with Tony, why Tony in particular and, the one question Bucky refuses to think about, what if Tony is dead?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that feeling when you don't update a fanfic for 8 months despite having planned and mostly written the next chapter since a week after you last updated it? No? Me neither....  
> (in case I didn't make it clear this was meant to be an apology for being terrible and not having updated since August, and I need to state that I will never stop this fic, even if the apocalypse happens I will finish it)  
> This chapter would have been longer but it came to a good place to stop and it is 4:45 am here and I have to be up at 7 so :\  
> Warnings: grief/angst that is resolved quickly and graphic descriptions of the aftermath of chapter 3  
> Quick note to remind you that you are all amazing and deserve the world for reading this let alone kudosing and commenting, you give me faith in humanity :)  
> Now that that is out of the way I present chapter 4 :)

They had finally received news of where Tony was being held. Jarvis relayed the signal to Bucky and the team, and they were ready to go within the hour. The journey was an agonising three hours and Bucky shifted anxiously every few seconds, eventually just starting to pace when he couldn’t keep still. When the island the signal was coming from came into view, he felt a wave of calm settle over him. He was going to get Tony back and anyone who stood in his way would meet an untimely, painful end.

Whilst Bucky would probably have had the same reaction if anyone from their unlikely band of misfits was captured, it was especially true for Tony. They had been dancing around each other for months, or at least Bucky hoped that’s what they’d been doing because some of his flirting was embarrassingly obvious. When he had first come to the tower he had been sure Tony was going to hate him, especially considering the fact that he had killed his parents. However when he got to the tower Tony was nothing but accepting and generous, even designing him a new arm and specialised kit. At the time it hadn’t added up in his mind but he came to realise that that is just how Tony is.

Their relationship had progressed from lab meetings to tune up his arm and sitting near each other on team movie night to Tony taking Bucky out for a meal of a different cuisine whenever he got the chance and Bucky dragging Tony out of the lab to marathon Star Trek to ‘make up for time lost’. Of course Bucky just used that as an excuse to spend time with Tony and he hoped that Tony had the same reasons. Now that he was in the future and he could openly show interest in Tony, Bucky had decided he would not waste time skirting around and making a fool out of himself.

Needless to say, when Bucky had heard that Tony was missing, he was not happy. He had been waiting at the tower for news of how the mission against the mutants had gone, not being allowed to participate as a telepath could mess with his mind enough to revert all the progress he had made since being released from Hydra’s control. The team had come back dejected but frantic, hurrying to see if they could somehow track where the leftover mutants had escaped to. Bucky had been left without a clue what was going on just standing at the side-lines until he realised what felt wrong, Tony wasn’t there. That was his cue to dive in and start finding the mutants himself.

It was an anxious few days, barely a week really but to Bucky and the team it may have well have been months because they had had no idea where the mutants had gone or their reason for taking Tony. Bucky spent the entire time hunched over a computer screen in full gear anxiously waiting for news or being dragged away to eat, sleep and shower. Natasha was designated the duty of removing him and was quite forceful because ‘seriously Barnes you’re stinking the entire place up, you won’t miss anything I promise’.

That had boiled down to Bucky waiting for four days before Jarvis finally detected a signal from Tony’s arc reactor and then he was up and racing to prep the quinjet and to retrieve Tony. Any attempts to stop him citing reasons about how there was still a risk from telepaths were met with a stony glare and complete and total disregard. Bucky was going to get Tony back and he wasn’t going to let an event that may not even happen stop him.

The signal was coming from a non-descript island in the Atlantic Ocean which wasn’t on Shield’s radar but Jarvis’ triangulation and the aid of Professor Xavier, who had been able to find Tony’s location via Cerebro at the same time the signal became clear, allowed them to determine where Tony was.

xxxxxx

As the pilot touched down on the island Bucky was already out and moving. Ignoring the shouts of the rest of the team behind him, Bucky ran towards the bleak grey building in the middle of the compound on the island. He could see mutants running to and fro and assuming positions to fight but he wasn’t focused on that, all he knew was that Tony was in the building somewhere and he would find him.

With his team at his back and Jarvis in his ear directing him towards the signal from the arc there was little Bucky had to focus on other than removing the obstacles from his path. Bucky had no time for petty distractions and any mutant that entered his path was met with swift retribution. No matter what they threw at him he channelled his fighting skill and made his way through them.

Alarms were blaring in the building as Bucky marched down the halls, twisting around corners and dispatching any resistance. His mind prevented him from making the killing blow but he wasn’t above giving the mutants a nasty headache to wake up to.

Bucky was making good progress and was starting to hope that he would find Tony and all would be right as rain (or as much as it could be). Then he registered Jarvis’ panicked voice in his ear.

“…rgant Barnes! The signal had dropped off. The arc reactor must be offline, you must hurry.”

Bucky felt a cold chill rush over him and his heartrate slowed. The arc reactor was offline. Then Tony must be... He shook his head, no he wouldn’t let that happen.

Bucky moved like a man possessed. He was hoping to god that Tony would still be where the reactor was, that he had been there to begin with and wasn’t already…

Bucky finally reached the level where the signal had been coming from. He burst into the room and was confronted with what looked like a high-tech version of a medieval torture chamber. He started panicking when he registered the fact that most of the equipment had been recently used and the sharp tang of copper flooded his nostrils from the visible pools of blood that were congealed on the floor.

The pools lead further into the room to a table reminiscent of an operating table. An operating table surrounded by blood and bloodied instruments. An operating table with a very bloody person strapped to it. Bucky felt as if time had frozen.

He had found Tony but he had been too late.

As he walked closer he felt like vomiting and crying at the same time.

Tony’s chest had a gaping hole in it much larger than the hole initially created by the arc reactor but Bucky could see where the metal casing had been ripped from Tony’s chest. He couldn’t help but move closer to Tony, his boots making wet _pat-pat_ sounds in the blood as he approached the table. Bucky reached out with his hand, wanting to confirm that Tony was there in front of him but also wanting to be able to deny that this was real.

He could feel tears silently slipping down his face and he wanted nothing more than to crumple to the floor but then he noticed something. Within the gaping hole that was Tony’s chest, his heart was still weakly beating. His lungs weren’t inflating but his heart still beat a constant rhythm.

Then, before his eyes, the hole in his chest seemed to begin knitting itself back together. Bone stretched across a gap to form a sternum which hadn’t been in place for years and muscles followed, stretching their way across the white expanse. Flesh and skin covered muscle and soon Tony’s chest was completely unmarred, an unblemished circle of pale skin surrounded by years old scar tissue. Bucky couldn’t quite process what had happened. He was sure the process must have only been a couple of minutes at least but to him it had seemed like years.

His shock and awe was broken by Tony’s chest moving as he took in a large breath and his eyes shot open.

Their eyes met.

“Bucky….?” Tony could only slur out that one questioning word before his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out. Thankfully he was breathing this time and although his skin was still pale, this was a cause for Bucky to hope that what had happened was real as he collapsed in relief by the side of the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now for the long (as it always is) ending note:  
> I promised Winteriron and I delivered, even if I made you wait 8 months between chapters (I'm sorry don't hate me) but do tell me if it feels weird or forced or whatever cause I lack a social life let alone romance so I'm solely using books and fanfics as reference material to write about this relationship so I need input please D:  
> Also I have decided that my friend who volunteered to Beta does not need to be bothered with my fics at ungodly hours in the morning which is when I always write these so this is un-betad (gee what a shocker) and so any mistakes I make are plentiful and 100% my own.  
> As always tell me if anything needs clearing up or changing or if you just have questions cause despite my complete lack of reliable updates I am always on the internet on Tumblr or reading fics. I will eventually get around to replying to all of your wonderful comments its just you are all so amazing that I can never think of what to reply when you compliment the story. I will update this story! I have another chapter to edit a bit and this one didn't go the way I was expecting so now I have another chapter to add but hey, I am making progress (yay!) :)

**Author's Note:**

> So how was that? Terrible? Not? If you want more I'm going to try and update regularly (try) leave a comment if there's something you want cleared up or changed or just generally to happen it would help me make this story even better. Sorry if I got characters wrong I'll try harder in the next chapter.


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